EXPLORE MINNESOTA

The State of Minnesota is encouraging the growth of economically significant
and environmentally responsible resource industries in the State. The
Minnesota Minerals Coordinating Committee therefore is promoting awareness
of the potential for natural gas production from the Midcontinent Rift
in Minnesota. Recent world-class natural gas discoveries in Siberia
have demonstrated the potential in a similar setting.

Exploration status: Five wells drilled from Kansas to Michigan;
seismic refraction data available for parts of the rift; increasing awareness
of source rock potential and oil seeps, improved knowledge of large reserves
in other rifts and Precambrian terranes

Resource potential: A high-risk play with few wells drilled and
mature to overmature source rocks; source rocks may have favorable thermal
maturity along basin flanks